Envelop-fastener



C. H. LOVELL. ENVELOP FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. 1919.

1,393,801. Patented Oct. 18, 1921. Y 11 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER H. LOVELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THOMAS M. WEBSTER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ENVELOP-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Application filed April 24, 1919. Serial No. 292,302.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER H. LOVELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in envelop-fasteners and has for its primary object a fastener which is constructed of two pieces of gummed material, these pieces being secured together in such a manner that they will not become separated from each other, the fastener being provided with gummed surfaces so as to be readily attached to an envelop or package and at the same time allow the same to be opened for postal inspection.

A further object is to provide a closure for mailing devices which can be readily attached and opened for postal inspection, the said closures being assembled so that all that is necessary is to secure the same to the pakage to be mailed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device attached to an envelop.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the sealing device; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same.

In the construction of my device, I employ strips of paper or fabric 4 and 5, one of their surfaces being gummed, the ends 6 over-lapping a strip of reinforcing material 7. This strip of reinforcing material 7 is secured to the strips 4 and 5 by means of an adhesive material.

Through the strip 4 and the reinforcing material 7 I insert an eyelet 8 which has a tongue 9 formed integral therewith and which is crimped or riveted in the member 4. The member 5 has an eyelet 10 secured therein in the same manner as the member 4. The members 4 and 5 are secured together as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. In other words, the folded end of the eyelet carrying strip 5 is inserted between the tongue 9 and the folded end of the strip 4 and the end 11 of the tongue 9 is inserted through the eyelet 10 and then bent downward y over he f lded lld 9-. the p 4,

thus securing the two parts together. By this method of securing the members 4 and 5 together, it is possible to sell them in bulk without the members becoming separated or detached which might be possible were the member 5 superimposed on the member 4 and the tongue then clamped down.

When it is desired to seal an envelop or package for mailing, all that is necessary 1s to moisten the gummed surface of the members 4 and 5 and secure them to the envelop or package, and if postal inspection 1S required, the end 11 of the tongue 9 may be raised and slipped out of the eyelet 10, thus opening the package and allowing the required inspection.

I may, if desired, eliminate the reinforcing strip 7 without departing from the spirit of my invention, or I may make the strips 4 and 5 of gummed fabric and insert a paper reinforcing strip or vice versa. Again, I may form the entire portion of the device of gummed fabric using only metal eyelets and tongues, or construct the same entirely out of paper, the eyelet and tongue being formed of metal.

By the use of my device, a purchase of first class and lower classes of containers for mail matter is entirely obviated as the flap of an envelop may be gummed and by the use of my device the envelop may be used for mail matter of a lower class.

It is obvious that my fastener may be used for fastening any kind of a package and when so employed the package may be opened and inspected and then refastened.

It will further be observed that each of the members 4 and 5 have a gummed face extending from the edge of the folded end 6 to the end of the strip, that is to say, when the fastener has been applied, the folded ends are not adhesively secured to the envelop or package, these ends remaining free for the insertion of the tongue into the adjacent eyelet.

Having fully described my invention what I claim is:

As a new article of manufacture, a fastener comprising two independent flexible paper strips of gummed material, one end of each strip being folded upon itself, the inner face of the folded end being ungummed so as to form a strip having a gummed and ungummed interior R92 as opening formed through the folded end of one of said strips, on eyelet provided with an integral. fiat tongue seoured through the folded end of the remaining strip, the folded end of the strip provided With the opening underlying the folded end of the-strip" carried by the eyelet provided with the tongue,

said tongue being inserted through the opening and folded back against the folded end end of thetongue extending to theeye'let in said folded end.

In testimonywhereof, I have signed-my name to this specifioation in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER H. LOVELL.

Witnesses:

WALTER C STEIN,

EDWARD LONGAN. 

